When Cuban music first arrived in New York City in the late 1920s, it was given the generic title "Rhumba." Spelling it with an h was dressing it with a top hat to make the rumba more acceptable among cafe society.

In those days, such diverse Cuban genres as the pregón, the canción, and the bolero were all classified as rhumbas. In fact, what has been considered the U.S. rhumba of all time, El manisero, was really a pregón. For most people in the United States and in other parts of the world, the rhumba is a dance genre that came from Cuba in the early 1930s and was popularized by society bands such as the Xavier Cugat Orchestra.

In recent times, those who are wellinformed about Cuban music have begun to use the term rumba according to its original meaning. Rumba sin hache, [rumba without an h], the authentic Cuban dance form, is completely African in origin. The Rumba developed among the different African ethnic groups, primarily from Central and West Africa, who were brought to Cuba as slaves. Its development in Cuba dates back to the mid-19th century in what has been referred to as El tiempo de España [the colonial period].

In addition to being a music and dance genre it is a general attitude and atmosphere. The rumba is a party in which everyone participates. At first, it was performed outdoors in patios [back yards] and empty lots. Eventually it moved indoors into small rooms and clubs. Following the African tradition, those present must play, scrape, rattle or beat something. It could be a drum, a wooden box, a chair, sticks, spoons, or maracas. It is a participatory ritual in which the audience is encouraged to clap their hands, sing and dance. These parties go on even today in Cuba, in the streets of Havana and Matanzas and are called rumbones or rumba festivals. These rumbones spring up for a variety of occasions such as: holidays, birthdays, baptisms, weddings, or whenever a group of people get together for a good time.

There are three main variants of the rumba developed in the middle 1800’s, the guaguancó, the columbia, and the yambú. The tempo of the guaguancó is slightly slower than that of the columbia and faster than the yambú. By the turn of the century, rumba had migrated to the black working class neighborhoods of Cuban cities. The music consisted mainly of percussive instruments including drums, wooden boxes (cajones), tables and chairs, spoons and jars.

During the first half of the 20th century rumba bands were comprised of singers, one or more large drums (tumbadoa-conga and tumbadora-salidor), a small conga drum (quinto) and a pair of wooden sticks (palaitos) that were beaten against the side of one of the drums. Claves (two hardwood sticks that are struck together) and the cajones were often added to the ensemble.

Guaguanco is played in 2/4 or 4/4 tempo giving it a moderate to fast tempo and is one of the most popular styles of rumba that is still danced today

Source: Maria F. Trujillo, Tulane University Dance Department